If you're looking in and around Los Angeles to create your own hunt, or hiring us to create one for you (so you can sit back and enjoy the fun), check out these spots!
#1) Downtown Long Beach: Anytime you can have waterfront hunts, the views are a definite plus. We would suggest narrowing the boundaries to include Downtown, Shoreline Village for the kitsch value and Convention Center Walkway as a great pedestrian friendly way to get from Downtown to the water. Don't forget to add Queen Mary as one of your clues--you are not in walking distance, but you can see her in the distance!
#2) Main St Santa Monica/Venice: The Santa Monica Pier and Promenade are our most popular scavenger hunt destinations in Santa Monica, but there is so much happening on Main St. And next door Venice is one of the more "colorful" parts of the city. This route is perfect by bike because the beach path connects Santa Monica to Venice. Main St. also has a great bike path/lane that goes up and down the street. We LOVE making a pit stop at the Venice Canals, discovering some of the great murals in Venice & exploring some of the shops on Main St. This one has a very Southern California vibe!
#3) Arts District/Little Tokyo/Olvera St, Downtown Los Angeles: This is technically three neighborhoods but all are nearby, and if you have transportation from one neighborhood to the next you can put all of them together in one hunt. There are new hot spots popping up every day in the Arts District (head to the barcade Eighty Two for some Galaga fun), and since it's located in a warehouse district there are lots of alleyway cafes and hidden street art to discover. Little Tokyo has tons of history, shops & sculptures--not to mention amazing food which should always be included in any good hunt! Olvera Street (with Union Station across the way) provides another historical/cultural view into Los Angeles you don't see every day, not to mention the world's oldest candle.
#4) Downtown Culver City: We are partial to this neighborhood because it's where we got our start, but we still stand by it as an awesome place for a scavenger hunt. First, everything is easy to walk to. Second, it's never overly crowded, so you have room to run around and look like a fool without getting in the way. Third, it's got such an amazing film/TV history to explore while checking out some of the newest restaurants and shops. There is even a park for gathering before and after the hunt (Media Park).
#5) Playa Vista: If you're searching for a spot for a kid/tween's "Amazing Race," we love the outdoor/nature aspects Playa Vista. There are 3 parks within walking distance, and each one has several options for clues--especially the nature park. If you want to add some Amazing Race tasks, there is plenty of open space for activities (soccer, basketball, even putt putt golf areas). The area is growing fast with more shops, restaurants, etc--which may soon make it a wonderful place for a scavenger hunt for all ages.
What we love most about our hunts is that they are totally custom, so our clients are always giving us new location ideas! Hopefully we can update this next year with even more cool places to explore.